Merih Demiral: The final piece of the Rangers puzzle

Rangers’ transfers activity must be set to continue as they look to take the Scottish Premiership title race to the wire.

Victory in 2018 against rivals Celtic moved the Gers level on points with Brendan Rodgers’ men who have a game in hand. Rangers are better placed than years before to finally challenge for the trophy that Celtic have dominated in seasons gone by. Steven Gerrard has wasted no time strengthening his squad ahead of their remaining fixtures.

The former Liverpool captain has already secured the services of iconic Premier League forward Jermain Defoe from Bournemouth and also added Steven Davis to his ranks, joining from Southampton. Now, the Gers must add to really push for the title.

One man Gerrard should target is Sporting Lisbon defender – Merih Demiral. Valued at just £1.35m by Transfermarkt, the youngster is a graduate of Fenerbache’s youth academy but moved to Portugal permanently in 2017. Demiral moved back to Turkey in the summer, joining Alanyaspor on a season-long loan.

The 20-year-old has been one of the most consistent performers in the Super Lig during his 14 appearances so far. The youngster loves to get stuck in, averaging an impressive 2.1 tackles per game. Demiral also reads the game expertly despite his young age, completing 2.1 interceptions on average. Adapting to the physicality of Scotland would be no issue with Demiral winning 3.1 aerial duels per game (WhoScored). His fantastic showings have not gone unnoticed with the defender receiving his first call up to the senior national team back in November.

Demiral has the potential to be great under Gerrard’s tutelage – he could prove to be a mainstay in the Ibrox defence for years to come.